Anno Fatalis
by IrishBookworm3
Summary: Join Minerva McGonagall and friends as they navigate their sixth year. Unfortunately, annoying family members, homework and the school bullies await them at every turn. But that's nothing compared to the infamous Chamber of Secrets...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Happy Easter, people!

**Update:** I had breaks in the story, but a very kind person told me that they got lost in transit. So here's some more!

o~O~o

"Mam, I can manage just fine on my own!"

Minerva sighed. Every year, her brother had the same argument with their mother, and every year Mam said the same thing:

"Aonghus McGonagall, you are still an O.W.L student and until you pass those exams you will listen to what I have to say. Now, you listen to your sister, and behave, and no more using that Jelly-Legs Jinx on your classmates!"

" But Minerva's only one year older than me, why should she get to boss me around?"

" Because she is far more mature than you have ever been!" Minerva sighed again, picked up her trunk, kissed her mother goodbye and clambered on board the Hogwarts Express.

"Minerva!" her best friend Poppy exclaimed as she threw her arms around her. "It's been ages!"

"It's been two months, Poppy dear," Marcus, Minerva's cousin drawled as he came up beside her.

"Still!" Minerva drifted off into a reverie as Poppy and Marcus chattered on.

"Here he comes," murmured Marcus. Sure enough, Aonghus appeared a few seconds later.

"Hey Minerva, can I borrow some money for the trolley?"

"No, Aonghus, I only have enough money to buy my own lunch."

"And you're not getting any money off of us, either."

"Fine, then!"

"What are you doing here anyway, Aonghus?" Minerva asked,"You know you're not supposed to be in the prefect's carriage."

"I only came to ask you for some money."

"Well, then you should leave, before the Head Boy or Girl catches you."

As Aonghus left, the Slytherin Prefect, Tom Riddle entered the carriage. Marcus watched him pass with barely concealed contempt. "What would you be willing to bet that he adds at least one more zombie to his little cult this year?"

"And do his best to hurt us while he's at it," replied Minerva.

"Well, at least we have our little gem of a healer to patch up any damage" added Marcus, elbowing Poppy gently.

"I doubt I'll be able to heal any injuries inflicted by Riddle's posse. I'd bet that they've come up with some very creative tortures over the summer." said Poppy darkly, her previous good mood having vanished with Riddle's arrival. "To think, he only hates us because we wouldn't join him when he asked us to." murmured Minerva.

"Well, that and you two are Gryffindor, and I'm Ravenclaw." replied Poppy simply. "At any rate, I'm starving. Where's the trolley when you need it?"

o~O~o

Aonghus flopped down into his seat beside his friend, Lucrezia, whom everyone called Lulu. "She wouldn't give me any money," he complained. "Now how am I supposed to get my lunch?"

"Didn't your mother give you any money?" asked Lulu.

"Well, yeah, but barely enough for a Pumpkin Pastie. That's not enough!" Aonghus cried. "I need more!"

"So just wait until the feast. It can't be far to Hogwarts now." replied Lulu. "Besides, Minerva probably got the same amount you did."

"Just because you two are the only girls in our estate does not mean you have to stand up for her the whole time!" shouted Aonghus.

"We talk to each other during the holidays and I come to her when I need help. And I don't stand up for her the whole time!" As the argument continued, neither of them noticed Tom Riddle pause outside their carriage, or the slight smirk that crossed his face.

o~O~o

As Professor Dippet, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, sat down following his speech, the Great Hall filled with the sound of chattering students and the sound of cutlery scraping against plates as the school enjoyed the Start of Term feast. Minerva and Marcus, sitting at the Gryffindor table, turned to Poppy, who was seated behind them at the Ravenclaw table. "So, how is your little cousin Myrtle? She's starting here next year, isn't she?" Marcus asked Poppy.

"Marcus, you dolt, if you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that she's just been sorted into Ravenclaw and is sitting at the end of the table." replied Minerva.

"Whoops" said Marcus nonchalantly. " It's so hard to keep track of the new students."

"We're prefects, it's our job to keep track of them! Anyway, I promised my aunt Jocelyn that I'd keep an eye on Myrtle for her." snapped Poppy.

"Jeez, what crawled down your robes?" asked Marcus indignantly.

"I'm sorry, it's just that Tom Riddle keeps looking over here and it's making me nervous. I wish I knew what he was planning." sighed Poppy.

"But none of us is a Legilimens." murmured Minerva, as the main courses faded from the plates and the puddings appeared.

"Oh, well, there's no point in wishing for things that probably won't happen anytime soon." said Marcus. "Now, I want to get some of that treacle tart beside you, Minerva, so if you wouldn't mind?"

"Honestly, Marcus, do you ever think of anything besides your stomach?" asked Poppy as Minerva passed him the plate.

"Yes, but there's no point in wasting good food." replied Marcus, missing the scathing look Poppy threw his way.

o~O~o

"Oh man, Aonghus, you won't believe what happened in Charms today!" called Lulu from the door of the Great Hall.

"Anything that happens in that classroom is a waste of my time." replied Aonghus in a bored voice.

"Well, first off Professor Miryoku was steamed that you ditched. Again! How long are you planning on doing this anyway? Until you get suspended?"

"Lulu, stop acting like my mother and get to the point!" snapped Aonghus.

"I'm just wondering, that's all. Anyway, we were practicing the Speed Charm, and that Lestrange boy said the spell wrong and blew up Professor Miryoku's desk! She was so mad she started shrieking in Japanese!" laughed Lulu.

"So, did you learn anything useful?" asked Aonghus.

"Yes, you're getting a detention when Professor Miryoku catches you." warned Lulu.

"Meh, she hasn't caught me yet." shrugged Aonghus.

"Aonghus!" came a shout from behind him. "Did you skip every Charms class this week!" asked Minerva, who had just entered the Hall.

"So what if I did?" replied Aonghus.

"So? Aonghus, you're going to fail your Charms O.W.L. if you keep this up! Professor Miryoku just told me that if you aren't in her class on Monday, she'll ban you from going to Hogsmeade! As it is, she told me to give you a detention. You're to go to her office at eight o'clock." scolded Minerva.

"What! She can't do that!" cried Aonghus.

"She can and will. And, if you don't attend both your detention and your classes, Professor Dippet will write to our parents." replied Minerva. With that, she stalked off, down to the end of the Gryffindor table.

"This is so unfair!" moaned Aonghus as he flopped into his seat.

"No, it's called justice. You skipped class and now you're being punished." replied Lulu.

"Who's side are you on?" asked Aonghus angrily, before storming out of the Hall. Focused on his punishment, he walked straight into Tom Riddle.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there." muttered Aonghus.

"It's alright. Say, was that you and your sister arguing a moment ago?" asked Tom.

"Yeah, she's always on my case." replied Aonghus. "You have no idea what it's like."

"Actually, I do. Where I live, there's this group of girls who go searching for even the slightest trouble, so that they can report it. It's very annoying." said Tom, shaking his head. "Say, there's a group of us going to Hogsmeade this weekend. You're welcome to join us if you like."

"Thanks, Tom. I might take you up on that offer." replied Aonghus.

"Well, if you decide to come, we'll be leaving around 10 o'clock. You can join us in the Entrance Hall." said Tom. As Tom walked off, Aonghus looked back. Tom was a nice person, he decided, no matter what Minerva said.

o~O~o

Yay! Read and review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Two updates in one night? Wow, the things I do for you people.

o~O~o

Hogsmeade Village was carpeted with leaves in every shade from palest amber to deepest red. Minerva, Marcus and Poppy strolled down High Street, occasionally stopping at a window display which interested them. "Hey, do you think we should buy some Cockroach Cluster?" asked Marcus.

"Why on earth would we buy some of that?" asked Poppy incredulously.

"We could slip it onto the Slytherin table and pretend that it's peanuts." replied Marcus.

"What good will that do?" asked Poppy.

"It'll be dinner and a show!" exclaimed Marcus. Suddenly, Minerva dragged them behind a noticeboard.

"Hey!" both of them complained.

"Ssshhh! I thought I saw Aonghus." whispered Minerva.

"So?" they asked.

"He was with Riddle! I told him to keep away!" hissed Minerva.

"Minerva, you should know by now that Aonghus barely ever listens to you. And that Riddle will do anything to get under your skin." soothed Poppy. "Anyway, it probably wasn't him. There must be a dozen people at school who look like Aonghus."

"I guess you're right, Poppy. Come on, let's get to Honeydukes so that Marcus can get his monthly sugar hit." replied Minerva, even though she wasn't entirely convinced.

o~O~o

Exiting the crowded sweetshop, the three teens each held a bag of sweets, and Minerva listened to Marcus' plan to prank the Slytherins with a bemused look on her face. "So then, we persuade the house-elves to put the Cluster on the Slytherin table with the other food, and then we just sit back and watch the chaos begin."

"And how exactly do you plan to persuade the house-elves to give the Slytherins the Cockroach Cluster?" Poppy was sceptical of Marcus' plan. "Simple, we just-"

"We? Who said anything about we?" Minerva blocked out her friends' dispute and tried to focus on her brother.

_Why is he so angry this year?_ she wondered. _Was it something I did? Or is it because of... No. I won't think about that. I refuse to remember_- Minerva was yanked out of her trance by a scream. Startled, she looked behind her. Poppy was lying on the ground, blood pouring from a gash in her stomach, while Marcus stood over her, wand in hand. Minerva stood, frozen, for a moment, then ran over to help Marcus.

"Stupefy!" Marcus quickly Stunned one of their attackers while Minerva Disarmed another. The other two attackers, seeing that they were now evenly matched, picked up their unconscious friend and ran off. Minerva and Marcus knelt by Poppy, who had lost consciousness at some point during the fight.

"Marcus, she's white as a sheet!"

Their other friends, Pomona and Rolanda came sprinting down the street. "Minerva, what happened?"

"Are you serious? How in the name of Merlin's pants did you two miss that fight!"

"Well, we-"

"What happened here?"

Minerva and Marcus looked up. "Professor Dumbledore!" Marcus exclaimed. "Please Professor, we need help, we'll explain later but Poppy needs the hospital wing!" Dumbledore conjured a stretcher, lifted Poppy onto it and set off towards the castle. They all followed, no one saying a word, all too worried about their friend to think about anything else.

o~O~o

Standing outside the hospital wing, everyone was silent. Marcus had explained the whole situation to Pomona and Rolanda on the way back, and now Pomona was chewing her nails, Rolanda was just staring out the window and Marcus was scowling at the nearest empty frame. Its occupant had run off somewhere as soon as Marcus started glaring. Minerva was glancing at the door every few seconds, hoping that someone would tell them how Poppy was. After several more minutes, Madame Santé, the healer, poked her head around the door. "You can come in now, but Miss Pomfrey isn't awake yet."

o~O~o

The hospital wing was bright and airy, with most of the walls occupied by huge Gothic windows. Ordinarily the room seemed inviting, the sort of place where you could go with any problems and find help, but not today. Poppy's bed was at the end of the ward, the only bed currently occupied.

"She's so pale," murmured Pomona. "Will she be okay?"

"She lost a lot of blood, but she should be fine once she wakes up." replied the Healer. On cue, Poppy stirred.

"What...strangers...duel...what?"

"You're a little disoriented, dear. Here, drink some Blood Replenishing Potion. You'll feel better." said Madame Santé, handing her a vial. Poppy accepted the vial, and slowly drank the potion.

"Okay, so what happened?" she asked once she had finished.

"Four guys attacked us in Hogsmeade. They slashed your stomach before we could do anything. I Disarmed one, Marcus Stunned another and they all Disapparated. Dumbledore came and brought you up here." answered Minerva.

"Okay..but where do Mona and Ro come into the picture?"

"They somehow managed to miss the entire thing, and only showed up when Dumbledore did." replied Marcus, with a pointed glare in the pair's direction.

"Hey, don't blame us!"

"Yeah! There happened to be something very interesting beside Scrivenshafts!"

"Let me guess, that something very interesting was Abraxas Malfoy?" teased Poppy.

"...Maybe." replied Rolanda. Everyone fell about laughing, except for Poppy, who's hand immediately went to her stomach as soon as she tried.

"Alright, that's enough!" Everyone looked up at the sound of the matron's voice. "I don't mind you all cheering up your friend, as long as you don't put any strain on her injury. At any rate, it's time for dinner. You all need some food, especially after today. So get down to the Great Hall, I really don't want to have any more of you in here after collapsing from hunger."

The four friends traipsed out of the infirmary, calling goodbyes over their shoulders.

"Bye Poppy!"

"See you after dinner!"

"Feel better!"

"Later, Lollipop!"

"Mona! Don't call me that!" Poppy shouted after them.

"Hey, if you get to call me Mona, then I can call you Lollipop!" came the reply.

"Well then, Poppy, are you feeling up to some food?" asked Madame Santé. Poppy smiled up at her mentor, then nodded and lay back in bed.

o~O~o

Woohoo! An update! You know what could possibly make me happier than updating? Reviews!

Oh, and Poppy's learning how to be a Healer from Madame Santé, in case any of you were wondering.


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